Old Acquaintances
by xgraciela
Summary: When there is someone waiting for you with a gun in their hand, it can't mean anything good...Harry/Perry established. Only inspired by a prompt at the KKBB meme - not actual fill. Rated for f-bombs as usual. **CH6 up!** and completed! :
1. Chapter 1

You won't catch me unprepared this time! No bad narrating will happen, because I'm checking it over and over and I'm being careful from the start so there won't be any mistakes!

Um...right, there may be some...I'll try, okay?

Which means I need to start at the beginning and that sucks, because the short beginning is a little bit boring and you came here for the action, didn't you? But geez, you always wanted me to narrate chronologically, remember? So that's what I'm gonna do.

Once upon a time...

What?! I can hear your boo all the way from where you are! I thought we agreed on a boring start...

Okay, I won't torture you anymore. There are two things you need to know. Perry and I are together and - I'm straight. Huh, weird combination, but believe me, it works out somehow.

And don't let yourself fall under impression that being together means no more insults from Perry. I think the frequency might have even increased since he'd first _really_kissed me. You don't want to know what I'm being called now.

According to Perry at most of the times I'm not even capable of tying my own shoes. Well, you get the point.

I said these first paragraphs would be boring, but stick with me, because it will be referenced later in the story - just thought I would let you know.

Anyhow, it all started with a very ordinary stakeout. Nothing serious, just tedious stuff you don't need or don't want to know. However, things got interesting when we wanted to go back home. Perry was bitching about my incompetence as usual.

"You are not able to even take a few shots!" He growled.

"I took some!"

"Yeah, but they contain only your left index and middle finger. Good thing you don't have the ring finger, otherwise it would have been there as well." He was angry.

Oookay, maybe I really destroyed a good piece of evidence, but no need to yell, right?

"Next time you are not getting your hands anywhere near the camera, understand?"

I nodded. It was better than the last time when he threatened to never take me with him again.

We continued in our banter and didn't notice a man following us, first probably just walking a few streets behind, then driving behind our car as well.

It might or might have not been my fault, but I don't want to blame myself in the first page of my story, got it?

Perry was exhausted, because it was his third work-night in a row so he let me drive. You know how good driver I am, so I concentrated on not getting us killed and not ruining Perry's shiny car, which meant I really didn't have time to check if some asshole is going after us.

Thinking back about it now, I guess it really _was_ my fault, because Perry surely would have seen him if he had been awake.

"Hey! We are here. Time for real bed." I shook him slightly once we arrived.

That earned me a hateful glance and some combination of foul words which I don't want remember. Yeah, I really love the man, stop asking stupid questions.

Something seemed off when we stepped out, but I didn't react as I should have. Perry was still dead on his feet when we made our way towards the door.

"Hands up and don't move!" A voice told us - very unpleasant if you ask me.

We both stopped in our tracks and Perry jerked a little, snapping out of his slumber.

"What the fuck?" Was his immediate reaction and, truth to say, mine too, but I wasn't brave enough to actually say it aloud.

We stared at each other for a while.

"I said hands up! Now!!" The man commanded and I complied. No need to anger them more, believe me. I have some practice in this field. Perry on the other hand is not used to being ordered around - that's my job - so it took him a bit longer to comply.

"I won't repeat it!" The man hissed and we heard a weird rustling sound. As if someone had shot, but without the loud "bang". It took me a second, but then I realized that the psycho behind us had a gun. A gun with muffler.

Perry was quicker than me and turned already, his hands up just a little bit.

"Calm down." He said, but I could tell that the man wouldn't listen.

I turned as well, my hands above my head and my heart in my throat. Getting beaten up that I'm used to, but guns mean serious business and I really hate them.

"Right, listen to him and calm down, I'm sure--" I was cut off by another shot which missed my head by about ten inches. _Great._

I could feel Perry startle slightly next to me when the guy fired.

"What do you want?" Perry's voice was dangerously low, but I got other concerns than to analyze it...like not getting myself or us both killed and how to get the fuck away.

"All in good time." The man snickered and pointed his toy at my face so I could enjoy the view. "Now you'll do what I say or this will end badly since I'm going to shoot again and I won't miss this time."

It was dark, but I swear I could see the slick grin plastered all over his face. Perry was quiet, probably considering all the possibilities, but judging from the lack of his action, there wasn't anything he could do to save us.

"Come closer. Slowly." The psycho barked.

We did.

He put the gun on my head and started searching my body for possible weapons. According to Perry I couldn't be trusted with any gun after the last Christmas (go, see the movie for details), so he found nothing and moved to Perry.

I was hoping that maybe his little faggot gun will save us at some point in the near future, but this guy apparently wasn't homophobe, so yeah - he checked even _there_.

"Nice touch." He grinned and threw the derringer far away. "Almost missed that."

Perry made a face. "You son of a bitch! What the hell is this all about?!" He was angry. Really angry, not like when he's yelling at me.

The gun was back at my temple in a second.

"Shut up or he's dead." Perry threw me a nervous glance and I gulped, because the gun butt was freakingly cold and something told me this wouldn't end well.

"That's it. I'm glad you are willing to co-operate. Let's make a small trip." He pointed to his huge dark car.

"And no games. One foul move and I'm shooting, clear?" His voice was still so cold and hissing that it sent a shiver down my spine.

We went back to his car two or three steps in front of him. Clever reader can notice that the psycho had even this distance problem covered. No way we could escape.

When we sat down inside the car, there was a driver and another man waiting. The car sped up very quickly and I wondered if it was possible for some cops to catch us. That could be the first time when seeing cops would make me smile. Sadly, no one seemed interested in this black Volvo.

I didn't pay attention to the man in the front seat, because the other one had his gun still pointed in mine or Perry's direction and that was making me nervous.

There was a long silence, but after few turns a voice good deal colder than I thought was even possible spoke from the passenger seat.

"Nice to meet you again _Perry._"

* * *

**tbc**

_Thanks for reading!_


	2. Chapter 2

"What?! Stone?" Perry asked, and it occurred to me that we were probably in a deep shit. I mean, it can't end well when someone you know and call him by name is holding you captive.

"I'm flattered you remember me Perry." Stone responded and turned to face us.

If his voice seemed cold, his face was beyond frozen. There was a bunch of deep scars on his right cheek and temple and he wore a tape over his right eye.

"You can see on my face that _I_ can't forget _you_ even if I wish."

Perry seemed shocked and I kept quiet, because a) there was still the gun pointing at my head and b) I was scared shitless.

"Cat got your tongue, Per?" The cold voice asked after a while. "Because really that would be a pity."

Then he turned to face me. "Oh, and Mr. Lockhart, I hope you don't mind joining us on this little trip, because that would have been rude to leave you at home alone."

I didn't respond, because there really wasn't anything to say.

"Don't tell me you lost your voice as well?"

I only swallowed. It wasn't a clever thing to do, because when there wasn't any answer from me, the other guy - don't forget him, he's the one holding the gun - smashed my head so hard that tiny stars appeared in my vision and I knocked into the backrest in front of me.

"You don't know it's impolite to keep quiet when he's asking you something?" _Fuck._ Like these guys were acting politely. I whined, because the pain in the back of my head was making me sick.

"What the hell?" Perry yelled from his seat. "Stone, what is this shit about? And why the fuck are you dragging Harry into this when it's only between you and me."

Leave it to Perry to always play generous. I was scared and in pain, but the image of Perry being here alone was ten times worse (I already told you that I loved him, so you can leave your surprised glances in your pocket and just accept it) even if I was useless at most of the times and the odds of me saving the situation were really low.

Stone looked at me pitifully. "I don't know how you can put up with him," he pointed to Perry, "with this asshole."

I shrugged and was afraid of another blow for keeping my mouth shut. But nothing came this time.

"You seem confused _Harry_." He continued. "I guess I should explain to you what happened six years ago. It might help you to understand my situation."

If I was ever to understand his situation, it was going to be only once he would be rotting in prison.

"I wasn't always like this. Your boyfriend, Harry, cost me a lot of money and power. His investigation got me arrested and _he_ made my car crash so now, I look like a monster and no one's giving me my eye back." He growled at Perry.

"Stop feeding us your shit, Stone!" Perry said angrily. "It's no--" He was cut off abruptly, because Stone snapped his fingers and that made Mr. Cold-voice #2 grab me from behind in choking grip and push the gun deeper into my chin. I gasped, because the motion startled me and caught me unprepared.

"Leave him alone!" Perry yelled and - I won't lie to you - that surprisingly made me feel all warm inside.

"Ts-ts-ts. No Perry. I'm glad I have some power over you now, because not only I want my money back, but I also want my revenge."

"Stone, you fucking son of bitch!" It made me worried to hear Perry swearing like that. No sleep in the previous days was not helping and he was angry and his reactions impetuous. I wondered if this was like he felt most of the times with me around.

The gun was pressed even harder into my neck.

"Watch your words big guy, or this adventure will end a bit too soon." Stone commented.

I gulped and could hear Perry swear quietly this time.

My chin hurt from the pressure so much that I thought it would break. _Fuck!_ Why always me? It felt like being a big magnet for all the guns around. They always seemed to point at me.

"Tell me Stone, why are you not counting your days in prison like you should." Perry changed the theme.

"Good things happen from time to time, Per. They obviously believed that I changed and became a better person, because they released me sooner." He grinned in a way that was making me sick, his only eye dark and threatening.

"Then it was not hard to find you in your little hole here in L.A. And when I learned that you got yourself a little pet since the last time we met," he looked at me, "my plan seemed perfect." He made a pause. "Well, not only seemed, it _is_ perfect so far."

"You won't get away with this, Stone. You are too stupid for that."

I may be an idiot, but provoking our captor didn't seem as a good idea. I wanted to tell Perry, but before I could do anything, the gun was back. They were very swift if nothing else.

"Keep your mouth shut, Perry!" Stone barked. "Or I won't be so kind anymore."

I couldn't turn my head, but I felt Perry fidget next to me in the seat. He murmured something unintelligible.

"Well, enough of talking, we are almost here." Stone snapped his fingers again and the other guy, whom I decided to call 'Snake', released me from the death grip.

The gun was still pointed in my direction, but anyway I scooted closer to Perry. I felt his hand grab mine and squeeze slightly. I looked quickly around, but no one from our captors seemed to notice anything, so I sighed with relief and squeezed back.

Don't boo, it really happened, okay? Oh, and I forgot to tell you that the car had blackened windows so none of us had any idea where we were heading. I had the bad feeling that this night won't be fun.

* * *

After the car stopped, Snake dragged us outside and then we followed Stone inside an older building and I didn't have time to look around very much once outside, but the ride was no longer than an hour and that meant we were still in L.A. or very near.

More gorillas waited for us inside. I should call them #1, 2 and 3. But it's not important for you. Just imagine all of them having two guns and also, they were a lot bigger than Perry or Stone or...whoever you can think of.

"Welcome here!" Stone grinned. "Please follow me."

We both refused to move, but that seemed to be a bad idea as gorilla #1 whacked Perry's head and #2 kicked my stomach. Then we _had_ to move, but it was more painful as a bonus.

"Careful Larry!" Stone joked, sounding slick. "We don't want our guests to feel bad here." Ha paused. "At least before I get what I want."

"Fuck you!" Perry hissed, but Stone just rolled his eyes and motioned with his hand for the thugs to lead us further.

We arrived to a small room and I looked quickly around as did Perry. It appeared like some sort of office, but it wasn't used for a long time and seemed deserted apart from a few papers thrown around the floor and a big, solid desk with a broken chair in the middle. Dim lamp on the ceiling was giving enough light to see that there were no windows.

Weird, scary room if you ask me.

We were roughly shoved inside with Snake and the others following us.

"Let's start with the money!" Stone barked. His fingers snapped again and that could meant only one thing. Snake was behind me in a second, holding me in a death grip once more. Great. I was already sick of being a living threat!

They thrust an older laptop in front of Perry and #3 made him sit down on the broken chair behind the table.

"You have five minutes to transfer everything from your account here. You cost me a lot more, but I'll do with your _humble_ savings. Main thing is, I don't have to wait anymore!"

Stone placed a variation of numbers on the table next to the laptop. Huh, this man must have been crazy! No way Perry was giving him his money. He was always pretty anal about his savings. I thought to myself that this was probably the first time when I was glad that there was almost nothing in my own bank account. _Irony._

Perry laughed like a maniac. "Stone, someone hit you really hard into your head? I won't give you a cent!"

Wow, I was expecting many things, but not such a strong reaction, at least not in this situation.

"Oh yes, you will!" Stone pointed his own gun at Perry's head. "If you want to live, you will." He smirked.

"Who are you kidding? You want to kill me anyway." Perry answered coldly. "So there's no need for me to sponsor your petty life."

His voice was still, but I could see that he was not in his own skin. His eyes were wide and then there was the unusually quick rising and falling of his chest.

With Snake's hand around my neck, I couldn't very concentrate, but the thought itself made me feel nervous. _Perry seemed sraced._

One flick of Stone's arm was enough for my captor to release me, but with his other hand, he smashed my head so hard that I thought it would fell off. Suddenly I was on the ground and could see only darkness for a while.

"Harry!"

Perry shouted my name and wanted to stand up probably, because I could hear a rustling sound when the chair was moved.

"Where would you like to go, Per?"

I scrambled to all four and then leaned on the wall - thank God they left me alone for a while. I saw Stone pin Perry back into his seat and then he patted the screen of the laptop.

"Changed your mind?" He paused, grinning like mad, his black tape over the lost eye glinting in the poor light. "Because otherwise there will be another dead body right before your own."

"You son of a bitch! Leave him fucking alone!" Perry hissed.

"Perry don't--" I was cut of with a kick to my side, so my attempt to stop him ended in a painful gasp.

When I opened my eyes again, Perry had already laid his hands on the keyboard slowly and he was looking at me with anxious eyes. I had always hoped he loved me as much as I had him. This here probably counted as a proof, yet I wished it hadn't come.

Another blow landed on my face. I moaned and spit out the blood which was dripping from my freshly cut lip. #1 and #3 were pointing their guns at me. Miserable was far better than how I felt.

"Well?" Stone asked, once more piercing Perry with his intense, one-eyed gaze.

Perry thew me another worried glance, but started typing frantically.

I closed my eyes. _Fuck_, this won't end well.

* * *

**tbc**

_I'm not sure when I'm going to post more, because I'm coming down with something, so it's possible I won't be able to write for a while when I'm sick. But don't worry, I will finish this! Thanks for reading!_


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes: **I'm finally feeling a bit better today and not coughing my lungs out, so...here you go :)

* * *

The laptop beeped when the message about the transaction arrived. Stone grinned, satisfied, and #2 shoved Perry away from the table, making him land on the ground next to me.

"Are you alright?" Perry asked quietly and checked my broken lip quickly, but with the kind of affection only he's able to give.

I nodded and closed my eyes.

"Oh, you two are so cute!" Stone cheered with a false smile.

"It's a pity that you have to die."

Okay, I thought that this man was weird, but I could believe that he wanted his money back. Now, I was just convinced that he was a dangerous psycho.

I looked at Perry, but one glance told me that he was expecting this course of action from the beginning. We both scrambled up quickly and neared the wall - if it was still possible. Snake and the thugs still had their guns in our direction. I admit that I was scared to death and Perry's blanched face was not helping me at all. He touched my hand slightly and then made a step forward, getting a little bit in front of me.

"Stone, you don't really need him as he doesn't know anything. You just want your revenge at me, right?"

I never heard Perry sounding scared before, but then again it might have something to do with all the guns in direction of his head.

"Aw, that's so kind and nice from you!" Stone barked.

We didn't move and just waited for the next action.

"You know what? I'll be generous this time. After all, you've just paid me a little fortune. The fuckhead can go!" He looked at me. "Get lost loser. I bet you are too stupid to do anything, but if you ever try to find me or go to the police, you are dead, got it?"

I stared at him and then at Perry and felt speechless.

"Are you deaf!? Fuck off! Move out of California and forget! You can thank your 'chief' for saving your life. Say goodbye to him."

He set the gun to Perry's temple and I saw Perry swallow with difficulty.

So, I was supposed to get the fuck off, to clean the place, never come back and get lost. Yet, I couldn't. Even if I could, after one look at Perry's face it felt just impossible. I wasn't going to let him die alone in this fucking hole!

I gazed at him again and saw that he had closed his eyes. Stone, on the other hand, had his _eye_ wide open and waited for my reaction.

"No!" I said it loudly and firmly after cleaning my throat and was proud of my solid voice.

Perry looked at me worriedly at first, but before he had a chance to say anything, Stone spoke again.

"I may cry! You guys are so cute! It's _really_ pity I have to kill you." He turned to me. "Harry, _sweetheart_, you sure? You can still save your sorry ass, because I'm in a good temper today." His smile was so nasty that it ran a cold shiver down my spine - for the umptieth time that night. But I shook my head stubbornly. I may not be clever enough, but no way I was leaving alone.

"Harry, you idiot, go! Fuck off! You--" Perry's angry outburst stopped abruptly, because there was a shot and then all I could hear was Perry's scream, which is hard to describe, but I can assure you that I'd never heard him scream like that before.

The bullet you remember from the bridge in the movie was comfortable in a way, because it made him unconscious. This one _just_ ripped his upper thigh apart. Well, not entirely apart, but you get the point.

"Shut the hell up, Per! He wants to stay, so he will, but you must excuse me now..." Stone fished for his cell, which was ringing inside his pocket.

"Uh, important!" He pointed to it. "We must leave you alone for a while guys. Another business." He motioned with his hand and all the thugs follower him outside.

"Will be back later - we are not done Per." Stone hissed and closed the door behind him.

Perry didn't try to reply. His face was full of pain and disgust and his eyes were glossy. Not the most pleasant view for me.

As soon as I heard the door being locked from the outside, I went to my knees and scooted closer to him. The light was bright enough for me to see the big wound on his leg._Ouch._ He was clutching his thigh with both hands and was groaning quietly.

"Perry!" I moved him carefully, so his head was resting on my lap. Don't laugh! It may seem extremely schmoopy, but try to find another comfortable position for both when one is injured and in pain and the second weak and a little beaten up.

He didn't respond, only continued in harsh panting.

The ones of you who are making faces now, listen - when in the movie someone is shot in the leg, he would probably run around a few more hours and save the world in the process. Real life - nope. I don't have to be a doctor to know that without the healthy thigh you can hardly make a few steps while hopping around. Plus, there's a lot of fucking arteries in there so the bleeding is pretty dangerous. Got it? Good.

I awkwardly patted his shoulder and wanted to lean lower to look at the wound, all the way trying to remember what Mrs. Green told us about first-aid when I was in high school.

His hand on mine was unexpected and then he squeezed it. "Harry...For God's sake get out when you can...Stone...wants me. He'll let you go...please!" His voice broke from the pain.

"He wouldn't let me anyway. It was a game."

Perry closed his eyes slowly. I was right and he knew it.

"Plus, I couldn't leave you there." I added, quietly.

His breathing quickened, so I wasted no more time and moved to check his leg, still holding his hand in mine.

"I'm sorry, Harry." He murmured when I released the hand to rip his trousers.

"What!?" I stopped and looked at him. His eyes were opened once more and were piercing me. "We...won't get out of this...place." He paused. "And it's my...fucking fault...as it seems."

Tears stung my eyes. You know that it's not hard to make me cry and the situation kinda boosted the effect. Perry was quiet, so I wiped my face with my sleeve and looked down at his leg.

It was a clear shot, but he was bleeding like mad and that was taking its toll. There were many drops of sweat on his forehead and he started to shiver slightly.

"You should have gotten out..." Perry slurred almost intelligibly, his words quieter and hazy. The most horrible thing was that I knew exactly what would happen when Stone would return and I didn't like it...not a little bit.

I blinked to clear my eyes and took off my belt - thank God I lost some weight during the last months - and gently, but firmly tightened it around his leg above the wound - near the groin.

The bleeding seemed to subside at once, but Perry probably didn't notice. I had no idea how much blood he'd already lost, but he started coughing and the shivers were more pronounced, his face pale.

"Hey 'Slick'! Stay with me, okay?" I commanded, remembering that I'd called him like this last Christmas after our first case and hoped it would make him feel better, but he hardly even listened to me.

Looking down at my hands, messy...with _his_ blood, I felt sick. _Don't give up..._

"Perry? It'll be fine." I crawled back behind him to support his weight.

Right, you know me as a a wimp, crybaby and idiot, but I can be nice and supportive as well, okay? Just let me have some responsibility. That Perry often forgets while calling me nitwit.

"Harry...Thanks for staying." He sighed.

That was too much even for me! I wanted my old Perry back. Anyway, he was probably just confused from the bloodloss, because only few minutes ago he'd been ordering me to get lost...

I patted his forehead. "Yeah." No need to tell him anything else as he was probably not very receptive at the moment.

"We're going to be fine." I assured him and wondered who would assure _me_.

He made a grimace and attempted to roll his eyes. Then grunted in pain once more. I loosened the belt as it was necessary for the leg, but only for a moment, because more and more blood seemed to flow from his wound.

We sat there quietly for a bunch of minutes, although it seemed more like an eternity and it must have been a pitiful glance. Perry stopped responding and was only breathing shallowly, his chest rising and falling.

Suddenly, I heard rustling sounds from behind the door. Stone and his thugs must have been back!

It had to wake Perry from his slumber, because his eyes opened narrowly for a while. It took a few seconds before he could orientate himself, but then he frowned and moaned in pain.

"Stone's back." I stated quietly.

He nodded, knowing what would happen. With all his remaining power he squeezed my hand and whispered. "Love you." Then Perry slipped back into unconsciousness.

I had to strain my ears really hard to understand him, but what I heard broke my heart and forced new tears into my eyes.

* * *

**~tbc**


	4. Chapter 4

I was fumbling with my jacket when they came back, Perry's head still on my lap.

Stone entered the room with only #2 and Snake. I had no idea where he left the other two gorillas, but it didn't make any difference. Together, they had more than three guns and that was a lot.

"What a lovely sight!" Stone exclaimed upon seeing us.

I frowned and threw him a disgusted glance.

"It's a pleasure to see the big Gay Perry on the ground. Much better than the other way around." The thugs stayed outside the door, but were still pointing guns at us.

Stone rounded the room and I followed him with my eyes, turning my head slightly.

"You know Harry, I still don't get why you didn't leave when you had a chance." He eyed me curiously.

What kind of fucking beast was this man!? He intended to kill us from the beginning and now, instead of making it quick, he was having a small talk with me.

"That's none of your fucking business!" I barked and looked down at Perry, who stirred slightly, but I was sure he was still unconscious. _As if I could leave._

"Oh, pardon me that I asked." He answered with feigned sincerity. "But tell me, are you not sick of his self-centeredness? Because when I last met him these years ago, he was acting like a big asshole."

I didn't say anything aloud, but remembered the moment when Perry took the bullet for me while on the Dexter's case and...Well, _self-centeredness_ really didn't suit the Perry _I_got to meet.

"It's very nice to chat here with you Lockhart." He commented even through I didn't give him one full reply for the whole time.

Stone checked his watch. "However, it's time to go and say goodbye I guess." He moved to the other side of the room.

I grabbed Perry's hand instinctively and prepared myself for everything, but in fact I wasn't prepared at all! I didn't want to die damnit! And of course I didn't want Perry to die.

_Do something!_ My mind was nagging at me, but there really was nothing I could do to make Stone leave us alone.

He bended down and opened the cabinet under the old table. When he straightened himself again, my eyes widened.

I wasn't ready to die, but I thought that at least they would shoot us in the head and make it quick. What I didn't expect was seeing Stone holding a canister, a bunch of crumpled papers and a lighter. A lighter! _Fuck!_

The psycho was going to set the room to fire!

He seemed to notice my shocked expression and grinned madly.

"Unusual, isn't it? But I had to think of something special for the great Mr. Van Shrike. He wouldn't settle for anything ordinary, don't you think?"

"You sick bastard!" I cried and then gulped, my hands were shivering.

"Thank you for a lovely compliment." He smirked, enjoying the fact that he was splashing the gasoline everywhere around us.

I had to cover my mouth, because the smell was overwhelming. For a while I envied Perry's blissful unconsciousness. I continued to watch Stone's quick and precious movements with wide eyes.

Fortunately, there wasn't enough gas in the container to soak us and our clothes as well.

When he was done, he threw the tank away and fished for the lighter inside his pocket.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Harry. Any last wish?" He smirked.

"Die!" I coughed and spit at him.

"Oh, I'm afraid that I can't be of assistance. We'd have to skip this noble rule for now." And with that he threw the lighter into the corner. The old, rusty wallpaper caught on fire immediately and I noticed only now that the floor was made from wood.

Stone put his arm in front of his mouth to filter the smoke, sent a last hating glance in direction of Perry's still form and waved hastily at me.

"Au revoir!"

Why the _fuck_ have the bad guys always use a different languages to make an impression!

The thugs moved and Stone closed the door behind himself. I heard the distant clap of the lock, but at the moment I didn't pay it much attention, because the room was filling with smoke and heat.

I moved us to the most distant corner, but it wasn't very helpful, because the whole place was really small. Perry started coughing reflexively, but didn't wake up and I didn't know if I was glad for it or not.

In my fantasy, death was always supposed to be something special. Like seeing things or people you haven't seen for a long time. Hearing weird voices or going towards the white tunnel...yeah you surely know all this shit, but in reality I was just sitting there, tears were flowing down my face, one hand in front of my mouth and nose, and the other grasping Perry's still one.

Only thing that ran through my head were his last words to me.

Then - not long after - I _did_ hear some strange sounds after all, but otherwise there was nothing as I coughed myself into the darkness and deafening silence.

* * *

END.

....??

.

.

.

.

.

*evil laughter*

_Oookay_, maybe one or two more? Let me know :)~


	5. Chapter 5

The next thing I knew was the smell of disinfection and a bright light. Weird heaven if you ask me. Then again, who said I would end up in heaven? But it didn't feel like hell either. Truth to say, I was pretty comfortable.

When I started thinking about the wonders of the afterlife, some voice interrupted me with calling my name.

"Mr. Lockhart. Wake up!"

Someone slapped my face. _Auch!_

I suddenly wasn't so sure if I liked it there, but nevertheless opened my eyes fully. And looked directly into the face, which I didn't recognize. It belonged to a man of mine age.

"What?--" I tried to sit up quickly, but strong hands held me down.

"Easy. Calm down." The voice was soothing, but for a while I had no idea where I was. There were weird tubes in my nose, but on the other hand they were making me breath a lot easier than the last time I--

It all snapped back and I panicked, trying to stand up again. Stone. Fire. Smoke. _Perry!_

I eyed the man above me confusedly, my heart speeding up. "Where--"

"You are fine." The man cut me off. "We are in the hospital in the ER. You were brought in a few minutes ago." He paused, checking my pulse and eyes.

"You have several light burns and a bad, but not severe smoke inhalation." He explained.

"Oh, and there's police waiting outside to talk to you."

I didn't give a fuck about my symptoms, diagnosis, or cops...I wanted to know what happened with Perry!

"Where..." I coughed, because speaking was obviously going to be a little bit challenging for a while. The man gave me an ice chip, which was very thoughtful.

"Where's Perry?" I asked after swallowing it.

The man only stared at me. "Excuse me?"

I coughed again. "Uh, the guy who was brought in with me?" I hoped he was.

"I don't know. There's a lot of cases, but I don't remember that name...Say again?"

"Perry." I said hopefully, my voice cracking just because I was breaking inside. If Perry wasn't brought in, it could mean only one thing...

"Stay here." The orderly said after a quick thought. "I shouldn't do this, but I'll go and check."

He left quickly without asking for the surname, which I forgot to add, and I was glad for it plus the curtain around my bed, because my eyes welled with tears again.

* * *

The man came back a few minutes later and if he noticed the wetness on my cheeks, he didn't show it.

He smiled and my heart skipped a beat. "We have one new patient with the name Perry. This Mr. Van Shrike is in surgery now, because of his injured leg. I don't know any details, but he was in a bad condition and unconscious, yet stable when they brought him in."

I wanted to cry again, this time from joy.

"Thanks."

The orderly nodded and fed me another ice chip, even though my voice was cracking from a completely different reasons.

"I'll let the police in now, okay? They said it'd be just a minute."

"Okay."

They asked about everything and I wished the conversation to be over soon, but on the other hand, it was one of the times when I was glad to see the cops around. One of them also told me that Stone had been arrested and that they would need me to testify.

Well, whatever if it would make the fucking bastard rot in prison!

After they let me alone, I was allowed to dress up and leave if I promised to go home and take it easy as there were only few scratches on my face and some burns on my hands and arms. Instead, I just went to the surgery ward to finally find Perry...

Oh, I'm so sorry! You probably want to know how we got out, right?

I told you in the beginning that the bad narrating won't happen again and, uh...I guess it did. _Damn._

Anyway, remember me fumbling with my jacket when Stone came back to us? You don't? Then go back and check, I really said it. Yeah, so I had a little device in my inner pocket. Perry calls it 'guardian angel'. He got it from his police guy and I don't give a shit about how exactly it works, but when activated, it's supposed to send an alarm message to the cops and it can be located very quickly...You get the point.

It's very small, so Snake couldn't find it when he searched me and Perry in front of our home. I left it hidden in my pocket after activating it and of course, I didn't believe that it would actually call the help. I just tried it, because it was the last possibility. Then I forget about it myself while trying not to suffocate, but the little thing apparently sent enough information for the cops to find us. Geez, that's amazing!

When Perry gave it to me a few months ago I didn't listen or believe to any word he said about it, but I promised to keep it by myself. Instead of the gun he'd forbid me to use.

I smiled now, and caressed the thing through the fabric of my jacket.

* * *

~_tbc_

**Extra notes:** I'm not a technical type, but the thing Harry refers to really exists (try googling 'GPS SOS tracker') And I'm sure the police would have the tiniest type for tracking purposes and that would be what Perry got from his guy.

Don't worry, epilogue will be Harry with Perry ;-)

_Thanks for reading!_


	6. Chapter 6

The wait in the sterile corridor was long and unpleasant. I counted the tiles on the wall...and floor. There was another woman sitting opposite to me. She was playing with her necklace absentmindedly and I wondered for whom she was waiting.

I hate hospitals and even more when I'm actually _not_ the patient. Plus, the staff is usually rather bitchy and doesn't want you to visit people who are not your relatives.

So when the surgery was over, after convincing several nurses that I was - first his husband, then his brother, or whatever - I was finally allowed to see Perry.

When I found his room there was a young doctor inside. She was really good-looking. Don't forget I told you that I was still feeling more straight than gay, so yeah, she _was_sexy. But I had more serious concerns at hand.

Perry was pale and all the little tubes made him look scary. The injured leg was propped with a soft pillow.

I neared the bed slowly and she noticed my presence.

"It's not as bad as it looks." There was a small smile on her face.

She must have spotted my anxious gaze and posture, but obviously it didn't matter to her exactly _what_ kind of relative I was.

"Really?" I asked, more quietly than I intended.

"He lost a lot of blood, but the wound was not serious and apart from the smoke inhalation and some second degree burns on his legs, there's no more damage. He's stable."

I didn't give a shit about all the medical words. 'Not serious' and 'stable' did it for me. It was like to wake up from a really bad dream.

"Thanks." I smiled carefully, testing if it still worked after tonight.

"I'll leave you alone. He should wake up soon." She finished her check up of the monitors and quietly left the room.

I fidgeted with my hoodie and nervously watched his chest rising and falling in peace. Then I moved closer to sit down. The chair was plastic, uncomfortable and cold, but it really didn't matter to me. I grabbed his motionless hand and caressed it with my thumb.

He didn't wake up, but stirred and my heart did a little jump. I bent down and kissed him on the lips (something I wanted to do since Snake showed in front of our home), feeling overwhelmed with all the joy that the horrible night was over.

After some time he finally opened his eyes and looked very confused for a few seconds. Well, _duh_, who wouldn't?

Then he focused on me. "Harry?" His voice was croaky and I remembered the ice chip I'd been given for it. There was a glass on the bed table so I spooned some ice and fed it to him. I also squeezed his hand and smiled.

"Yeah."

"Are we dead?" He asked slowly after swallowing.

"Nope." I grinned.

"But Stone..." He paused. "Harry, are you alright?"

See? He calls me an idiot and bitches about my faults, but he really cares.

Instead of a reply, I bent down to hug him and I nodded into his shoulder. Wires were making it harder, but he put his free hand on my back and patted me.

I was near to crying again.

"How..?" He asked once we separated.

"Remember 'Guardian angel'? Uh, I guess it really works after all. I activated it when Stone went away."

Perry succeeded in an attempt to roll his eyes. "_Of course_ it works." The squawking of his voice only made the statement funny.

"Well, um..I had it in my pocket all the time, but forgot about it." I admitted.

"Because you're an idiot." Perry quipped, but it hurt me more than it should have.

I started standing up, feeling bad again. Before I could escape, there was a hand around my wrist.

"Wha--"

He looked into my eyes. "Thanks."

I tilted my head, not believing my own ears.

"For saving us." Perry added and tugged at my hand.

I grinned. "I told you that some day it would happen! I was--" He cut me off again.

"Harry? Shut the hell up and come here."

We hugged once more and I stayed longer than necessary nestled up to his chest when I heard him murmur softly...

"Love you."

And it felt million times better than when he last said these words to me.

* * *

**End.** (For real ;-)

_I hope you enjoyed this last bit of fluff...and the whole story!_


End file.
